Sausage stuffing machine



March 8, 1966 J. MULLER 3,238,559

SAUSAGE STUFFING MACHINE Filed April 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:J0 HA NN M01. L 5K BY )Qukaw/ 1.641%

March 8, 1966 J. MULLER 3,238,559

SAUSAGE STUFFING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g r Z6 2g S 2 l" INVENTORI Jo/MNA/ MUL L 15E United States Patent 3,238,559SAUSAGE STUFFING MACHINE Johann Miiller, Rammingerstrasse 2, Biberach(Riss), Germany Filed Apr. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 359,522 19 Claims. (Cl.17-39) The present invention relates to sausage stuffing machines ingeneral, and more particularly to improvements in the construction,mounting and adjustment of the assembly which feeds measured quantitiesof comminuted meat or similar pasty material into animal or artificialskins to form sausages of predetermined shape and/or weight. Still moreparticularly, the invention relates to an improved mechanism whichserves to reciprocate and to adjust the stroke of a feed piston whosefunction is to draw pasty material into a feed cylindrical and tothereupon expel measured quantities of such material through a spout ora similar tubular conveying member and into the interior of a skin whichis placed onto the conveying member so that the material will draw theskin off the conveying member during each working stroke of the feedpiston.

In many conventional sausage stufiing machines of which I have knowledgeat this time, the feed piston is reciprocated by a crank mechanism and,when the operator desires to change the stroke of the feed piston, hemust change the throw of the crank pin so that the feed piston willcover a longer or a shorter distance at the time it travels between twoend positions. A serious drawback of such crank mechanisms is that,whenever the operator wishes to change the volume or weight of a batchof pasty material which is to form a sausage, both end positions of thefeed piston will change which means that a mass of pasty material willremain in the feed cylinder whenever the stroke of the feed piston isshortened. In other words, and when the feed piston completes a workingstroke during which a measured quantity of pasty material was expelledfrom the feed cylinder, some material will remain in the feed cylinderexcepting when the crank mechanism is adjusted in a sense to compel thepiston to perform working and return strokes of maximum length. Thematerial of a sausage is highly compressible so that the mass whichremains in the feed cylinder affects the volume of the batch which isexpelled from the feed cylinder whereby the machine produces sausages ofunequal weight. Furthermore, the material which is entrapped in the feedcylinder is likely to become spoiled and to contaminate the batcheswhich are expelled into the skin so that the feed cylinder must becleaned at frequent intervals. If the machine is not provided with amechanism which adjusts the stroke of the feed piston, its utility isreduced considerably because the machine is only capable of makingsausages of a given weight but cannot be converted for the production ofheavier or lighter products.

Accordingly, it is an important object of my invention to provide animproved adjusting mechanism which is capable of regulating the strokeof the feed piston in a sausage stuffing machine in such a way that thepiston will always evacuate the feed cylinder when it performs a workingstroke and that the stroke of the feed piston may be varied within awide range without affecting the operation of the machine in which thefeed piston is used.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel mechanism forreciprocating the feed piston of a sausage stufiing machine and toconstruct the reciprocating mechanism in such a way that the position ofthe feed piston at the end of its working stroke will not change eventhough the length of the strokes may be varied so that the feed pistonmay be utilized in the manufacture of heavier or lighter sausages.

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A further object of the invention is to provide a sausage stuffingmachine which embodies a reciprocating mechanism of the above outlinedcharacteristics and which is capable of automatically indicating thelength of strokes which the feed piston performs at any given stage ofthe operation.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a sausage stuffingand linking machine wherein the linking mechanism is drivenautomatically at required intervals in responsse to reciprocation of thefeed piston.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide a machine of thejust outlined characteristics wherein the operative connection betweenthe mechanism which reciprocates the feed piston and the mechanism whichforms links at the trailing ends of freshly formed sausages isconstructed in such a way that the skin is always twisted in the samedirection so that the possibility of untwisting the link at the leadingend of a freshly formed sausage while the machine forms a link at thetrailing end of the same sausage is avoided in a fully automatic way.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel transmission whichis capable of twisting the skin at the trailing end of a freshly formedsausage in a fully automatic way when the piston performs a returnstroke so that the linking-operation begins only at the time the skinhas received an accurately measured quantity of comminuted meat orsimilar pasty material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sausage stufling andlinking machine which is of very compact design, which will producesausages of uniform size and weight, which is capable of stuffing andlinking an artificial or animal skin in a fully automatic way, andwherein a single prime mover suffices to drive the feed piston and thelinking mechanism.

With the above objects in view, my invention resides in the provision ofa sausage stufiing machine which comprises a feed piston including apiston rod and serving to feed measured quantities of comminuted meat orsimilar pasty material into a skin so that each measured quantity ofsuch material will constitute the filling of a fresh sausage, andreciprocating means for moving the piston between two end positions sothat the piston alternatively performs working and return strokes. Inaccordance with one feature of my invention, the reciprocating meanscomprises a fixed shaft which is preferably perpendicular to the axis ofthe piston, a carriage arranged to rock about the axis of the fixedshaft, rocking means for moving the carriage back and forth throughequal distances and including an eccentric coupling rod which is drivenby a motor and is articulately connected to the carriage by a pivotwhich is spaced from and parallel with the fixed shaft, and connectingmeans for adjustably coupling the piston rod to the carriage so that thepiston reciprocates in response to rocking of the carriage. Theconnecting means comprises a spindle nut or an analogous adjustingmember supported by the carriage and operatively connected with thepiston rod (for example, by a push rod), and this adjusting member iscontrolled by a spindle or a similar shifting device which serves tomove the adjusting member betwen the pivot and the fixed shaft wherebythe stroke of the piston increases in response to increasing distancebetween the adjusting member and the fixed shaft.

In accordance with a preferred embodimentof my invention, the axes ofthe fixed shaft and of the pivot for the coupling rod are located in acomon plane which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the feedpiston when the latter reaches the end of its working stroke whereby theposition of the feed piston at the end of the working stroke remainsunchanged even though the length of the strokes may be adjusted betweenzero and'a maximum value. In other words, when the operator decides tochange the length of strokes, the position of the piston will change atthe end of its return stroke but not at the end of the working stroke.

The novel fetaures which are considered as characteristic of theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theimproved machine itself, however, both as to its construction and themode of operating and adjusting the same, together with additionalfeatures and advantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal ofthe following detailed description of a specific embodiment withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partly elevational and partly sectional view of a portion ofa sausage stuffing machine which embodies my invention; and

FIG. 2 is a section as seen in the direction of arrows from the line A-Bof FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a portion of a sausagestuffing and linking machine-which comprises a housing or casing 18supporting a variable-speed electric motor 1 whose output shaft carriesa pinion 2 meshing with a gear 3 which is rotatable about'a shaft 5fixed to the housing 18. The gear 3 carries an eccentric pin 4 which isconnected to one end of an eccentric coupling rod 6. The other end ofthe rod 6 is connected to a pivot 7 provided at one end of a rockablecarriage 8 which is mounted on a fixed shaft 9 secured to the housing18. The axis of the shaft 9 is parallel with and is spaced from the axisof the pivot 7.

The metering mechanism which delivers measured quantities of comminutedmeat or similar pasty material into a tubular conveying spout 41comprises a feed cylinder 27 which accommodates a feed piston 26. Therod 24 of the feed piston 26 is guided by a sleeve 25 which isdetachably secured to the housing 18, and the lower end of the pistonrod 24 is connected to a pin 23 provided at the upper end of a push rod22. The lower end of this push rod 22 is articulately secured to aspindle nut 10 by means of a pin 12. The nut 10 constitutes an adjustingmember which serves to vary the stroke of the feed piston 26 and ismovable in the axial direction of a shifting member here shown as aself-locking threaded spindle 11 which is rotatably mounted on thecarriage 8 to extend radially of the fixed shaft 9 and which may berotated by an actuating device, here shown as a handwheel 17, through atransmision including a shaft 16 which is rotatable in the housing 18and which may rotate the spindle 11 through a pair of mating bevel gears13, 14 and a shaft 15. The shaft 15 is axially movably but non-rotatablyreceived between two bearing sleeves respectively connected with theshaft 16 and bevel gear 14. When the operator rotates the handwheel 17,the spindle nut 10 will travel along the revolving spindle 11 and willadjust the stroke of the feed piston 26. The stroke of this feed pistonwill increase if the handwheel 17 is rotated in a sense to move thespindle nut 10 in a direction away from the fixed shaft 9, i.e., towardthe pivot 7. On movement of the spindle nut 10 toward the fixed shaft 9,the stroke of the feed piston 26 is reduced and is zero when the axis ofthe pin 12 coincides with the axis of the fixed shaft 9. It will benoted that the parts 1-10, 12 and 22-24 constitute a reciprocating meansfor moving the feed piston 26 with reference to the feed cylinder 27 sothat the piston moves between two end positions and alternativelyperforms working and return strokes, and that the parts 10, 12 and 22-23constitute connecting means for adjustably coupling the piston rod 24with the carriage 8 so that the feed piston 26 reciprocates in responseto rocking of the carriage by the rocking means 17. The stroke of thepiston 26 may be adjusted by the shifting means 11, 13-17, and suchadjustments may be effected while the piston 26 reciprocates. The ratioof the transmission 13-15 between the shaft 16 and spindle 11 is suchthat the strokes of the piston 26 may be adjusted with utmost precisionin response to rotation of the handwheel 17. The bevel gears 13, 14prevent any uncontrolled rotation of the spindle 11 so that the nut isautomatically locked in any selected position of adjustment when thehandwheel 17 is released.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 8 defines a guideway or channel inwhich the spindle nut 10 may reciprocate in response to rotation of thespindle 11. The push rod 22 extends through a slot provided in the topwall of the carriage 8.

An important advantage of the adjusting mechanism including the nut 10and spindle 11 is that the upper end position of the piston 26 changesvery little or does not change at all in response to adjustments in theposition of the nut 10. This will be readily understood since, when thenut 10 is caused to move toward or away from the fixed shaft 9, thecorresponding axial displacement of the piston 26 is much shorter sothat the upper end position of this piston is substantially unchanged.When the carriage 8 is rocked to the upper end position of FIG. 1, theaxis of the spindle 11 is subsantially perpendicular to the axis of thepiston rod 24- and, therefore, the stroke of the piston 26 is determinedmainly by the lower end position of this piston which position iscontrolled by adjustment of the spindle nut 10. In other words, when thepiston 26 completes a working (upward) stroke, the plane common to theaxes of fixed shaft 9 and pivot 7 is substantially perpendicular to theaxis of the piston rod 24 and piston 26. This plane passes through or isparallel with the axis of the spindle 11. Consequently, the piston 26will always reach the same level when it moves to its upper end positionand may expel all pasty material which was sucked into the feed cylinderduring the preceding return stroke. This is a decided advantage forreasons which were explained hereinbefore, i.e., the batches of pastymaterial will be compressed to the same extent and the feed cylinder 27cannot retain pasty material which could become spoiled to affect thequality of the mass which enters the skin.

The shaft 16 of the handwheel 17 is coupled to an adjustable indicatordevice 19 by a belt transmission 20, and the scale of the device 19 iscalibrated in such a way that its pointer indicates the weight or thevolume of the batch of comminuted material which is expelled from thefeed cylinder 27 in response to each upward (working) stroke of the feedpiston 26. In other words, the device 19 indicates, directly orindirectly and in a fully automatic way, the length of strokes performedby the feed piston 26 in any given position of the spindle nut 10.

The distance between the pins 12, 23 (the effective length of the pushrod 22) equals or exceeds the distances through which the nut 10 may bemoved toward or away from the fixed shaft 9. In other words, theeffective length of the push rod 22 is selected in such a way that it atleast equals the effective length of the spindle 11. The axis of the pin12 is located in a plane which is common to the axes of the fixed shaft9' and pivot 7 and the axis of the pin 12 remains in this plane when thenut 10 is moved with reference to the carriage 8.

The feed cylinder 27 comprises an upwardly projecting extension whichaccommodates a conventional con trol valve 28 serving to connect thechamber of the cylinder 27 with a source of pasty material, here shownas a supply cylinder 31, or with the spout 41, depending upon whetherthe feed piston 26 respectively performs a return (suction) stroke(downwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1) or a working stroke. The valve 28 ismoved, by a control shaft 29 which is driven in synchronism with thefeed piston 26 so that the latter may drawpasty material from the supplycylinder 31 (through an opening 30) when it performs a return stroke andthat a measured quantity of such pasty material will be ex-.

pelled through a rotary nozzle 39 and into the spout 41 when the piston26 performs a working stroke (upwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1 or 2). Thecylinder 31 accommodates a supply piston 23 which draws comminuted meatfrom a suitable tank or the like, not shown. The control valve 28 isrotated back and forth through 90 degrees so that the opening 30alternatively communicates with the supply cylinder 31 and nozzle 39.

The spout 41 serves to support a skin (not shown) and to twist the skinupon delivery of a measured quantity of pasty material so that the skinforms a link which separates the freshly formed sausage from theremainder of the skin. The linking mechanism of my machine preferablycorresponds to that disclosed in my copending application Serial No.129,489 which issued on July 14, 1964 as Patent 3,140,509, and to whichreference may be had if necessary. Since the spout 41 must be rotated insynchronism with the operation of the feed piston 26, I provide aone-way transmission which causes the nozzle 39 to rotate atpredetermined intervals. This transmission comprises a toothed segment34 which is bolted to the carriage 8 and whose teeth mesh with the teethof a small pinion mounted on a shaft 35 which is journa-lled in thehousing 18. The shaft 35 drives a sprocket wheel 37 through a one-wayclutch 36, and this wheel drives a second sprocket wheel 40 through anendless chain 38. The sprocket wheel 40 is mounted on the nozzle 39which is rotatable in the housing 18 and is detachably but non-rotatablyconnected with the spout 41.

The one-way clutch 36 insures that the spout 41 cannot rotate back andforth, i.e., the shaft 35 is free to rotate with reference to thesprocket wheel 37 when the feed piston 26 performs a working stroke, butthe spout 41 will be caused to rotate and to form a link at the trailingend of a fresh sausage when the feed piston performs a return stroke. Inthis manner, the skin which is mounted on the spout 41 is ready toreceive a new fresh batch of pasty material when the feed piston 26performs the next working stroke. The center of curvature of the pitchcircle of the segment 34 is located on the axis of the fixed shaft 9. Ifdesired, the one-way clutch 36 may be placed between the nozzle 39 andsprocket wheel 40.

The batches of pasty material cause predetermined lengths of skin toslide off the spout 41 in a manner substantially as disclosed in myaforementioned application Serial No. 129,489.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applictions without omitting features whichfairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specificaspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should andare intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range ofequivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a sausage stuffing machine of the type including primary supplymeans and a feed cylinder connected to and operating in synchronism withthe primary supply means for the transfer of batches of pasty materialto the feed cylinder, in combination, a feed piston accommodated in thefeed cylinder and comprising a piston rod; and reciprocating means formoving said feed piston between two end positions so that the pistonalternatively performs working and return strokes, said reciprocatingmeans comprising a fixed shaft, an elongated carriage arranged to rockabout the axis of said fixed shaft, rocking means for moving saidcarriage back and forth about the axis of said fixed shaft, connectingmeans for adjustably coupling said piston rod with said carriage so thatthe feed piston-reciprocates in response to rocking of said carriage,said connecting means comprising an adjusting member supported by saidcarriage and operatively connected with said piston rod, and shiftingmeans for moving said adjusting member toward and away from the axis ofsaid fixed shaft so that the stroke of said feed piston changes inresponse to changes in distance between said adjusting member and saidfixed shaft, said elongated carriage being arranged so that itslongitudinal extension lies in a plane which is substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of said piston rod when said feed piston ismoved to one of said end positions 2. In a sausage stufiing machine ofthe type including primary supply means and a feed cylinder connected toand operating in synchronism with the primary supply means for thetransfer of batches of pasty material to the feed cylinder, incombination, a feed piston accommodated in the feed cylinder andcomprising a piston rod; and reciprocating means for moving said feedpiston between two end positions so that the piston alternativelyperforms working and return strokes, said reciprocating means comprisinga fixed shaft, a carriage arranged to rock about the axis of said fixedshaft, rocking means for moving said carriage back and forth about theaxis of said fixed shaft comprising a motor-driven eccentric couplingrod and pivot means connecting said coupling rod to said carriage at apoint spaced from said fixed shaft, connecting means for adjustablycoupling said piston rod with said carriage so that the feed pistonreciprocates in response to rocking of said carriage, said connectingmeans comprising an adjusting member supported by said carriage andoperatively connected with said piston rod, and shifting means formoving said adjusting member between said pivot means and said fixedshaft so that the stroke of said feed piston increases in response toincreasing distance between said adjusting member and said fixed shaft,the axes of said pivot means and of said fixed shaft being located in aplane which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of said pistonrod when the feed piston is moved to one of said end positions.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein said plane issubstantially perpendicular to the axis of said piston rod when the feedpiston completes a working stroke.

4. In a sausage stufling machine of the type including primary supplymeans and a feed cylinder connected to and operating in synchronism withthe primary supply means for the transfer of batches of pasty materialto the feed cylinder, in combination, a feed piston accommodated in thefeed cylinder and comprising a piston rod; and reciprcoating means formoving said feed piston between two end positions so that the pistonalternatively performs working and return strokes, said reciprocatingmeans comprising a fixed shaft having an axis which is perpendicular tothe axis of said piston rod, an elongated carriage arranged to rockabout the axis of said fixed shaft, rocking means for moving saidcarriage back and forth through equal distances and including a motorhav-- ing an output shaft, an eccentric coupling rod driven by saidoutput shaft, and a pivot having an axis parallel with the axis of saidfixed shaft and arranged to connect one end of said coupling rod withsaid carriage at a point distant from said fixed shaft so that thecarriage is rocked in response to rotation of said output shaft,connecting means for adjustably coupling said piston rod with saidcarriage so that said feed piston reciprocates in response to rocking ofthe carriage, said connecting means comprising a push rod articulatelyconnected with said piston rod and an adjusting member connected withsaid push rod and supported by said carriage, and shifting means mountedon said carriage and arranged to move said adjusting member between saidfixed shaft and said pivot whereby the stroke of said feed piston isshortened when the adjusting member is moved toward said fixed shaft,the axes of said fixed shaft and said pivot being located in a commonplane which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of said pistonrod when the feed piston completes a working stroke.

5. In a sausage stuifing machine of the type including primary supplymeans and a feed cylinder connected to and operating in synchronism withthe primary supply means for the transfer of batches of pasty materialto the feed cylinder, in combination, a feed piston accommodated in thefeed cylinder and comprising a piston rod; and reciprocating means formoving said feed piston between two end positions so that the pistonalternatively performs working and return strokes, said reciprocatingmeans comprising a fixed shaft having an axis which is perpendicular tothe axis of said piston rod, an elongated carriage arranged to rockabout the axis of said fixed shaft, rocking means for moving saidcarriage back and forth through equal distances and comprising a pivothaving an axis parallel with the axis of said fixed shaft, connectingmeans for adjustably coupling said piston rod with said carriage so thatsaid feed piston reciprocates in response to rocking of the carriage,said connecting means comprising a push rod articulately connected withsaid piston rod and an adjusting member connected with said push rod andsupported by said carriage, and shifting means mounted on said carriageand arranged to move said adjusting member between said fixed shaft andsaid pivot whereby the stroke of said feed piston is shortened when theadjustng member is moved toward said fixed shaft, the axes of said fixedshaft and said pivot being located in a common plane which issubstantially perpendicular to the axis of said piston rod when the feedpiston completes a working stroke.

6. In a sausage stuffing machine of the type including primary supplymeans and a feed cylinder connected to and operating in synchronism withthe primary supply means for the transfer of batches of pasty materialto the feed cylinder, in combination, a feed piston accommodated in thefeed cylinder and comprising a piston rod; and reciprocating means formoving said feed piston between two end positions so that the pistonalternatively performs working and return strokes, said reciprocatingmeans comprising a fixed shaft having an axis which is perpendicular tothe axis of said piston rod, an elongated carriage arranged to rockabout the axis of said fixed shaft, rocking means for moving saidcarriage back and forth through equal distances and including a pivotsecured to said carriage and having an axis parallel with the axis ofsaid fixed shaft, connecting means for adjustably coupling said pistonrod with said carriage so that said feed piston reciprocates in responseto rocking of the carriage, said connecting means comprising anelongated push rod, first pin means articulately connecting one end ofsaid push rod to said piston rod, second pin means provided at the otherend of said push rod, and an adjusting member connected with said secondpin means and supported by said carriage, and shifting means mounted onsaid carriage and arranged to move said adjusting member between saidfixed shaft and said pivot whereby the stroke of said feed piston isshortened when the adjusting member is moved toward said fixed shaft,the axes of said fixed shaft and said pivot being located in a commonplane which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of said pistonrod when the feed piston completes a working stroke, the distancebetween said first and second pin means being at least equal to thedistance through which said adjusting member is movable toward or awayfrom said fixed shaft.

7. A combination as set forth in claim 6, wherein the axis of saidsecond pin means is located in said common plane intermediate said pivotand said fixed shaft and wherein the axis of said second pin meansremains in said common plane when said adjusting member is moved withreference to said carriage.

8. In a sausage stufling machine of the type including primary supplymeans and a feed cylinder connected to and operating in synchronism withthe primary supply means for the transfer of batches of pasty materialto the feed cylinder, in combination, a feed piston accommodated in thefeed cylinder and comprising a piston rod; and reciprocating means formoving said feed piston between two end positions so that the pistonalternatively performs working and return strokes, said reciprocatingmeans comprising a fixed shaft, a carriage arranged to rock about theaxis of said fixed shaft, rocking means for moving said carriage backand forth about the axis of said fixed shaft, connecting means foradjustably coupling said piston rod with said carriage so that the feedpiston reciprocates in response to rocking of said carriage, saidconnecting means comprising a spindle nut supported by said carriage andoperatively connected with said piston rod, and shifting means formoving said spindle nut toward and away from the axis of said fixedshaft so that the stroke of said feed piston changes in response tochanges in distance between said spindle nut and said fixed shaft, saidelongated carriage being arranged so that its longitudinal extensionlies in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of saidpiston rod when said feed piston is moved to one of said end positions,said shifting means comprising a self-locking spindle meshing with saidspindle nut and extending radially of said fixed shaft, and means forrotating said spindle.

9. A combination as set forth in claim 8, wherein said carriagecomprises elongated guide means and said spindle nut is reciprocable insaid guide means in response to rotation of said spindle.

10. A combination as set forth in claim 8, wherein the means forrotating said spindle comprises actuating means and a transmissionoperatively connecting said actuating means with said spindle.

11. A combination as set forth in claim 10, further comprisingadjustable indicator means for indicating the length of strokes of saidpiston, and transmission means connecting said actuating means with saidindicator means so that the indicator means is adjusted automaticallywhen said actuating means rotates said spindle.

12. In a machine for stuffing batches of pasty material into tubularskins to form sausages and for twisting the skin at predeterminedintervals to form links which seal the trailing ends of freshly formedsausages, in combination, a feed cylinder; a feed piston reciprocablyreceived in said cylinder and comprising a piston rod; a source of pastymaterial connected with said feed cylinder; reciprocating means formoving said feed piston between two end positions so that the pistonalternatively performs working and return strokes to respectively expela measured quantity of pasty material from said feed cylinder and todraw a measured quantity of pasty material from said source and intosaid feed cylinder, said reciprocating means comprising a fixed shaft,an elongated carriage arranged to rock back and forth through equaldistances about the axis of said fixed shaft, means for rocking saidcarriage, connecting means for adjustably coupling said piston rod withsaid carriage so that the feed piston reciprocates in response torocking of said carriage, said connecting means comprising an adjustingmember supported by said carriage and operatively connected with saidpiston rod, and shifting means for moving said adjusting member towardand away from the axis of said fixed shaft so that the stroke of saidfeed piston changes in response to changes in distance between saidadjusting member and said fixed shaft, said elongated carriage beingarranged so that its longitudinal extension lies in a plane which issubstantially perpendicular to the axis of said piston rod when saidfeed piston is moved to one of said end positions; a tubular conveyingmember connected with said feed cylinder and arranged to support alength of skin and to deliver into the skin a measured quantity of pastymaterial during each working stroke of said feed piston; and means forrotating said conveying member in response to rocking of said carriagewhen the feed piston performs a return stroke so that the conveyingmember rotates the skin and forms a link at the trailing end of eachfreshly formed sausage.

13. A combination as set forth in claim 12, wherein the means forrotation said conveying member comprises one-way clutch means so thatsaid conveying member is rotated in a single direction.

14. A combination as set forth in claim 13, wherein the means forrotating said conveying member comprises a transmission including afirst wheel coaxial with said conveying member, a second wheel, anendless flexible member trained around said Wheels, a toothed segmentfixed to said carriage and having a pitch circle whose center is locatedon the axis of said fixed shaft, and a pinion driven 'by said segmentand arranged to rotate said second wheel.

15. A combination as set forth in claim 14, wherein said one-way clutchmeans is arranged to rotate said second wheel in response to rotation ofsaid pinion in one direction.

16. A combination as set forth in claim 14, wherein said conveyingmember is a spout and further comprising a rotary nozzle communicativelyconnected with said spout arranged to rotate with said first wheel, saidnozzle being arranged to receive pasty material from said feed cylinder.

17. A combination as set forth in claim 14, wherein said wheels aresprocket Wheels and wherein said flexible element is a chain.

18. In a machine for stufiing batches of pasty material into tubularskins to form sausages and for twisting the skin at predeterminedintervals to form links which seal the trailing ends of freshly formedsausages, in combination, a feed cylinder; a feed piston reciprocablyreceived in said cylinder and comprising a piston rod; a source of pastymaterial connected with said feed cylinder; reciprocating means formoving said feed piston between two end positions so that the pistonalternatively performs working and return strokes to respectively expela measured quantity of pasty material from said feed cylinder and todraw a measured quantity of pasty material from said source and intosaid feed cylinder, said reciprocating means comprising a fixed shaft,an elongated carriage arranged to rock back and forth through equaldistances about the axis of said fixed shaft, means for rocking saidcarriage, and means for coupling said piston rod with said carriage sothat the feed piston reciprocates in response to rocking of thecarriage, said elongated carriage being arranged so that itslongitudinal extension lies in a plane which is substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of said piston rod when said feed piston ismoved to one of said end positions; a tubular conveying mem'bercommunicating with said feed cylinder and arranged to support a lengthof skin and to deliver into the skin a measured quantity of pastymaterial during each working stroke of said feed piston; and means forrotating said conveying member in response to rocking of said carriagewhen the feed piston performs a return stroke so that the conveyingmember rotates the skin and forms a link at the trailing end of eachfreshly formed sausage.

19. In a sausage stuffing machine of the type including primary supplymeans and a feed cylinder connected to and operating in synchronism withthe primary supply means for the transfer of batches of pasty materialto the feed cylinder, in combination, a feed piston accommodated in thefeed cylinder and comprising a piston rod; and reciprocating means formoving said feed piston between two end positions so that the pistonalternatively performs working and return strokes, said reciprocatingmeans comprising a fixed shaft, an elongated carriage arranged to rockabout the axis of said fixed shaft, rocking means for moving saidcarriage back and forth about the axis of said fixed shaft, andconnecting means for adjustably coupling said piston rod with saidcarriage in any one of a plurality of positions of said piston rod alongsaid carriage in the direction of elongation thereof and each at adifferent distance from the axis of said fixed shaft so that the feedpiston reciprocates in response to rocking of said carriage and thestroke of said piston changes in response to changes in the position ofsaid piston rod along said elongated carriage, said elongated carriagebeing arranged to extend substantially in a plane which is substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of said piston rod when the feed piston ismoved to one of said two end positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,281,777 5/1942Madsen et al. 7440 2,830,455 4/1958 Harmon 74-40 2,841,991 7/1958Saalfrank 7440 2,997,888 8/1961 Rust 74-40 X FOREIGN PATENTS 606,685 12/1934 Germany. 901,578 7/1962 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Examiner.

1. IN A SAUSAGE STUFFING MACHINE OF THE TYPE INCLUDING PRIMARY SUPPLYMEANS AND A FEED CYLINDER CONNECTED TO AND OPERATING IN SYNCHRONISM WITHTHE PRIMARY SUPPLY MEANS FOR THE TRANSFER OF BATCHES OF PASTY MATERIALTO THE FEED CYLINDER, IN COMBINATION, A FEED PISTON ACCOMMODATED IN THEFEED CYLINDER AND COMPRISING A PISTON ROD; AND RECIPRICATING MEANS FORMOVING SAID FEED PISTON BETWEEN TWO END POSITIONS SO THAT THE PISTONALTERNATIVELY PERFORMS WORKING AND RETURN STROKES, SAID RECIPROCATINGMEANS COMPRISING A FIXED SHAFT, AN ELONGATED CARRIAGE ARRANGE TO ROCKABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID FIXED SHAFT, ROCKING MEANS FOR MOVING SAIDCARRIAGE BACK AND FORTH ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID FIXED SHAFT, CONNECTINGMANS FOR ADJUSTABLY COUPLING SAID PISTON ROD WITH SAID CARRIAGE SO THATTHE FEED PISTON RECIPROCATES IN RESPONSE TO ROCKING OF SAID CARRIAGE,SAID CONNECTING MEANS COMPRISING AN ADJUSTING MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAIDCARRIAGE AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID PISTON ROD, AND SHIFTINGMEANS FOR MOVING SAID ADJUSTING MEAMBER TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE AXIS OFSAID FIXED SHAFT SO THAT THE STRIKE OF SAID FEED PISTON CHANGES INRESPONSE TO CHANGES IN DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ADJUSTING MEMBER AND SAIDFIXED SHAFT, SAID ELONGATED CARRIAGE BEING ARRANGED SO THAT ITSLONGITUDINAL EXTENSION LIES IN A PLANE WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLYPERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID PISTON ROD WHEN SAID FEED PISTON ISMOVED TO ONE OF SAID END POSITIONS.